Be Careful What You Wish For
by GalaxyHitchhiker
Summary: Formerly- What Might Have Been. Voldemort has caused so much pain. Wouldn't it have been better if he had never been born? What could possibly be worse?
1. Prologue

A/N: I know I shouldn't start a new story now, because I really have to work on my Marauders fic, but I had this idea, and I wanted to right AU, so I did. A Hebrew school teacher actually gave me this idea. Once, when we were talking about the Holocaust, he explained that all things happen for a reason, even if we don't understand them. He said that maybe, if this didn't happen, something even worse might have come along. I think the situation could apply to the Harry Potter world to.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except there are a number of original characters, or there will be. All property of JKR belongs to her and her publishers. And I stole the genie's location from an "X-Files" episode, sort of. Don't sue me.

What Might Have Been

Prologue

Harry Potter wanders through the dark, empty house. Sirius' house. It still belongs to Sirius, in Harry's mind. He cannot accept that it is his, cannot accept the emptiness now that his godfather is gone. He will not accept it.

He finds himself in the attic, farthest away from Sirius' room, from the places that still feel like him. It is dark and dusty, and has not been cleaned. Valuable, magical antiques are strewn about as if they were garbage. He steps carefully, aware that some of these things are dangerous, could hurt him. He wanders over to a window over the London street, watches the wispy clouds floating over the bright full moon. He wonders if Lupin is alright.

Harry rests his arm against the sill, and his foot brushes against something next to him. It begins to tip, and before he can stop it, it crashes to the ground. It is a large Oriental rug, and it unrolls from the impact. What happens next would have surprised him completely if he wasn't so filled with grief and pain.

A young woman with dark hair steps out of the rug. "You have freed me," she says. "For this, I grant you three wishes. Think carefully, and make your wishes wisely."

Harry's mind leaps to one thing, one all consuming thought. _Bring Sirius back. _But that is not enough. He has suffered other pain in his life. He wants his parents, whom he has never known. He needs them too. He begins to speak, but then stops. There is a bigger wish he can make, something much more powerful. Something that would bring both Sirius and his parents back, and thousands of others. Something that would take away all of his pain. He would have to word this very carefully.

"I wish that Tom Marvolo Riddle had never been born. Never existed. No trace of him left on this earth." Harry pauses. The genie, because that's what he knows she is, begins to work here ancient, powerful magic. "Wait!" he says, the first time he has raised his voice above a dull monotone since the start of the summer. "I also don't want to remember making this wish. I don't want to remember anything of the life that I've lead. I want to remember them as the Harry born into a world without Voldemort would have remembered them."

"Is that all?" the genie asks. Harry nods. "Then it is done."

Did you like? Don't worry, the whole fic won't be in present perfect tense, I just like writing prologues that way. If you enjoyed, please review. Pretty please? And if you really liked, please read some of my other stories!


	2. Family

A/N: This is a short, transitional chapter. Now, the prologue will become rather unnecessary once the story is established, but I didn't want an alternate universe to come out of nowhere. Besides, I might use it later. We'll see. Oh, and I need a better title. Maybe I'll change the summery, make that the title. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: characters are JKR's, the situation is mine (sort of)

What Might Have Been

Chapter 1: Family

"Harry!" He looked up at the sound of his name, but ignored it. He was busy writing a letter. It was started "Ginny-" but he crossed that out. It didn't seem right. Perhaps "Dear Ginny." That didn't seem right either. Harry thought his name once or twice more, but ignored it again.

How could he right a friendly, casual letter to Ginny Weasley, when all he wanted to do was pour out his heart. She was like a sister to him throughout childhood, as Ron had been like a brother, but things were different now. He was nearly sixteen, and she had grown up.

"Harry James Potter, get down hear this instant!" When his mother used his full name, she meant business, so Harry decided it was best to leave his writing until after Sirius' dinner.

"I'm coming, Mom," he yelled from his door, and ran down the stairs.

"What have you been doing up there?" Lily Potter asked him, her voice raised. "I've been calling you for the last ten minutes. Go wash your face, you've got ink on it, and hurry up, we're going to be late!"

"Relax, Lily," James Potter said, coming into the kitchen. "We're going by Floo Powder, we can't be late." He smiled at his son, and said, "I wonder if Padfoot found Moony a date."

"Oh, I hope he didn't try to set Remus up with that girl who works with his fiancé, what's her name?" Harry was laughing to himself, trying to imagine his teacher on a date, any sort of date. Lily looked at her watch once again, then said, "Go, Harry, we do have to leave."

Harry ran to the bathroom to wash the ink off of face and wondered how to get rid of the few pimples that were marring his otherwise clear skin. He tried combing down his hair a little, but it was a futile battle, so he gave up. He heard his mother call his name again. "I'm coming!" he shouted to her and ran out the door.

When he reached the kitchen again, only his father was waiting for him. "You go next," James said. "Your mother went first to help Carol with dinner."

Harry grabbed a pinch of the glittering powder, shouted Sirius' address into the flames, and stepped in.

A/N: I told you it was short. Sorry about that. Consider this a sort of secondary prologue, in case I get rid of the first one. More to come soon, I promise. In the meantime, reviews greatly appreciated.


	3. Announcements, Birtdays, and Back to Sch...

Greetings all! Sorry for the delay, thanks for you're reviews. Chapters will start becoming longer, and as of now, I've changed the title and summery. This chapter is mostly fluff, but things will start to pick up soon. Hope you enjoy!

Note: This chapter has slash of secondary characters. It's not really a major plot line (or it isn't yet), but just warning you in case you are narrow minded.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 2: Announcements, Birthdays, and Back to School

Sirius and Carol had not been able to find a date for Remus, and he was grateful. He hated when they meddled in his life like that, though they meant well. He was doing just fine on his own, thank you very much. Harry, young as he was, could usually see this in Remus, but he didn't say anything to anyone about it. He didn't think they would care.

Tonight, they were having a dinner for what seemed like no particular reason, but there were always reasons for gatherings like this. Carol had enough to do planning a wedding without having to make dinners like this for no reason. No, people would be making announcements tonight, and Harry was eager to hear what they were.

When Lily and Carol came out of the small kitchen, everyone gathered around the dining room table. Sirius was going around with a bottle of wine. He began to pour Lily a glass. "Tell me when, Lily," he said. James, however, stopped him and switched the glass with his own.

"I don't think you should be having anything to drink, love," he said, smiling.

Lily smiled to, and said, "I suppose you're right." They looked into each others' eyes, just like they did when they were first falling in love.

Carol looked back and forth between the two of them, then at the half-filled glass of wine, her mouth open. Then something clicked and she gave a loud, delighted squeal. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"We just found out a few days ago," Lily said.

Remus looked up at her and said in his soft, even voice, "Congratulations, Tiger Lily." Remus and Sirius rarely used their school-age nickname for their best friend's wife, but this time it was fitting.

Everyone seemed to understand what was going on, everyone except for Harry and Sirius, who looked at each other with confusion. James saw Sirius' lack of comprehension, shook his head, and gestured something Harry couldn't see. "Oh," Sirius said. "Again? I thought you had enough trouble with this one."

James laughed, but he stopped when he saw the stern look on Lily's face. Now everyone understood what was going on except Harry. He didn't appreciate being out of the loop like this, and he said so. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

James looked at his son, carefully choosing his words. "Your mother and I . . . we, um,-"

"We're having a baby!" Lily exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement. Harry stared at her, not sure how to react.

"A baby?" he asked tentatively. "Was this something you've been planning? If so, how come I'm last to know?"

"We weren't really planning it," said James cautiously. "It just sort of happened."

"Oh. Okay. Is it going to be a boy or a girl?"

His parents laughed, relieved their son was taking the news with such maturity. James had reacted less calmly than Harry had. "We won't know for about a month. We promise, you'll be the first to know once we do." His mother smiled, and so did Harry.

"That's good then," he said. He took a bite of his dinner, looked down at his food, and decided quickly that eating was much more interesting then talking about anything.

Carol shook her head. All this talk about kids made her wish her December wedding was much closer. Breaking a few moments of awkward silence, she said, "Sirius has some pretty big news, don't you muffin?"

Sirius's cheeks turned the faintest pink. "Do you remember how Arthur mentioned he might run for Minister of Magic?" The table nodded. "Well, he's definitely going to run, and he's asked me to manage his campaign."

Lily and James both smiled and offered words of congratulations, but Harry asked, "What do you know about politics?" His mother hit him gently on the shoulder, frowning at his rather brutal honesty.

Sirius laughed. "Not much. But as soon as Arthur found out who he would be running against, he asked me to get involved."

"Who's running, Padfoot?" Remus asked.

He gave a sly smile. "Bellatrix Black. Dear cousin Bella, pride of the Black family name. Arthur figured the only person who could take down someone that powerful would be another Black. So he asked me."

"And now he'll have something to do besides complain about that stupid novel he'll never finish."

"Hey!" Sirius said, feigning an offended look. "I'll finish it someday. It's almost half done."

Carol shook her head, then kissed her fiancé lightly on the cheek.

"Please, please no public displays of affection in front of the children," Harry said, laughing. Remus laughed too, and Sirius and Carol separated slightly. Sirius looked over at his friend, then remembered something.

"You've got big news, haven't you, Moony?"

"It's not really that important, nothing like yours or Lily's news."

"Come on, Remus, tell us," said James.

"It's nothing, really. Besides, I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to be telling you. I think Dumbledore wanted it to be a surprise."

"Okay, now you have to tell us," Harry said, "because now I know it has something to do with school." Everyone now stared pointedly at their quiet friend.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. You knew that Cassie Nicholo is moving to Salem, right?"

"Yeah, Harry told us, but Remus, you aren't going to be teaching potions, are you?" James paused, trying to find the most tactful way of continuing. "Because that was never your _strongest_ subject in school."

"Of course I'm not teaching potions. Dumbledore's moving another staff member, Severus Snape into that position. He's much better at potions than I hear he is at Defense Against the Dark Arts-"

"He better be," said Harry, "because he doesn't know crap-"

"Harry!"

"Sorry, mum. He doesn't know _anything _about DADA."

"Right. So Dumbledore asked me to take Snape's place once he replaces Cassie."

Harry thought about this for a minute. "It's too bad we couldn't have had you for a defense teacher last year. You would have gotten us through OWLS much better than Snape ever did."

"At least you got to have Cassie for Potions," said Lily. "She taught us when we were in school, and we were lucky to have her. She became a good friend after we graduated. Even came to our wedding."

"Besides," Sirius added, "you must have gotten through OWLS just fine. When do you get your scores?"

"Hopefully after my birthday, so if I flunk them all, I still get presents."

James looked at his son in a parental way. "There's nothing wrong with a little parental encouragement for you to do well. My parents did the same thing to me when I was young, and I was all the better for it."

"Whatever," the teenage boy said. His mind had filled with thoughts of his birthday, where he would finally see Ron, Hermione, and Neville again. And Ginny. Her brothers would kill him if they found out, but he wanted to se Ginny most of all.

The sun rose too early in the summer. Much too early. Bright light danced across Harry's face as he lay in bed. He groped blindly for his wand, instead knocking it and his glasses on the floor. That would be a problem in a half-hour or so, but for now he simply rolled over to face away from the window and pulled the covers over his eyes. Before he started to drift back to sleep, cohesive thoughts began forming in his head. Like the date. Today was sometime in July, sometime in July that was important. It was the end of July, the very end of July. And today was . . .

Harry jumped out of bed, his wand popping up into his hand. "_Accio eye-glasses_,"he said, suddenly wide awake. He ran down the stairs, following the smell of something good stirring itself in the kitchen.

"Happy birthday, Harry, " his mother said brightly. His father smiled at him from over the morning newspaper.

"You have letters," he said, "from Ron and Hermione. And a particularly long one from one Ginny Weasley." James Potter gave his son a sly smile. Harry blushed and snatched the letter away from his father.

"She's my friend. And she's Ron's little sister."

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before. Ah, the pangs of youth."

"James, leave Harry alone. Teasing him like that on his birthday."

"Lily, he knows it's all in fun. Besides, he's sixteen. Practically old enough to Apparate."

Harry had stopped listening to his parents' good-natured bickering and was opening the letters from Ron and Hermione which wished him a happy birthday. He would save Ginny's letter for later, when he could be alone. He would be seeing her in a few hours, when everyone came to celebrate his and Neville's birthdays, but he felt like that moment couldn't come too soon, and anxiously awaited his solitude to drink her words.

James shook his head when his son darted up the stairs with the letter from Ginny in his hands. "They grow up so fast," he said, almost longingly.

"Its better than not growing up at all," his wife said, smirking, "like some people I know."

"Sirius has finally gotten a real job, and he's getting married. I think he's grown up plenty." James looked defensive over his closest friend.

"I didn't mean Sirius, you dolt," she said, now laughing. "I meant you!"

She walked out of the kitchen to fold laundry, leaving her husband looking offended and taken aback. He tried to come up with a reply, but was left only with ideas of retorts from his youth. Maybe he hadn't really grown up. He shook his head. That was ridiculous.

Ginny's letter was long, written in her tight, curly handwriting. There were places were the ink changed, tone changed, she switched from script to print. It was as if she had been working to compose an epic, starting and stopping when she had moments she could be alone. As the only girl, it was easier for her to get privacy than her brothers, but living in a family of nine made a few moments of quiet a rare occurrence. And privacy she needed to pen this.

Her words enveloped him, he drank them like they were wine, breathed them. They were innocent and unsure at first, but once she took the plunge, she poured out her soul. She felt the same way he felt for her, felt it with the fire of first love. She counted the minutes until they saw each other again, for the first time, couldn't wait for school so they could see each other every day.

But her letter also came with a warning, a concern they both understood. Ron. His best friend, dating his little sister. That would be an unpleasant conversation. Of course, they never had to tell him, did they?

Harry sat in his room the rest of the morning, reading and rereading Ginny's letter. That was a good thing, because it gave his mother time to bake and his father time to complain about the cost of the gift they got him. "He's only sixteen, it's not like this is he's come of age," James complained. "My parents never got me anything this extravagant for a birthday. We shouldn't be spoiling him."

"James, you know very well that your parents did the same thing when you were a kid. We haven't spoiled him, and the broom we got him isn't that expensive. It's not like we got him a Firebolt. That would be extravagant. Besides, you said it yourself, he needs a new broom. Using your old one isn't good enough, now that he's team captain." To interrupt their conversation, there was a knock on the fireplace. "Oh, Alice is here! Come on in!" Lily called.

"Thanks, Lily," Alice Longbottom said, brushing the ash off her dress.

"What's Frank doing with Neville today," James asked.

"School shopping, I think. Not a very good excuse- I think Neville will see right through it, because we haven't gotten his letter yet. Maybe they're buying more plants." She said this with a touch of sarcasm in her voice. The Longbottoms had more plants than they knew what to do with. "They'll be back around two, right? That's the time everyone is coming over, isn't it?"

Lily nodded. "Can you give me a hand with this cake?" she asked.

At two o'clock, Neville and his father burst through the fireplace. "Harry!" James called. "Stop reading that love letter and get down here!"

Harry ran down the stairs, glaring at his father. Neville was laughing at his friend, and received a hard hit on the back of the head. "Hey! Its my birthday, you can't do that!"

"It's my birthday, too. Get anything good?"

"Cash from Gran and some aunts and uncles. Parents haven't given me anything yet."

"Mine either. And I think they've hidden the stuff from other relatives until tonight."

"That sucks. When are the Weasleys and Hermione getting here?"

"Soon, I think. You wanna go up to my room and wait?"

"Why not. So what's this about a love letter?"

"Do you really want me to hit you again?"

"Sorry it's such a sore subject. Let's go play Gobstones or something."

It didn't take long for everyone to get there, and Ron, hand in hand with Hermione, burst into Harry's bedroom. Ginny followed behind them.

"Welcome to the happy couple," Harry said sarcastically. "Never separate for a moment, are you?" He looked at his friends, but he was really staring at Ginny. This past month had been good to her. Now fifteen, she was no longer Ron's baby sister. She was absolutely beautiful. But she didn't betray her affections for a moment, didn't arouse any of her brother's suspicion.

"You think this is bad," she said instead, "you don't have to live with this one." She pointed to her brother. "Always locked in his room, writing her _poetry!_"

"You wrote me poetry?" Hermione asked.

Ron turned his head to the floor, embarrassed. "It was never any good, so I didn't send it to you." Hermione tilted his head up so his eyes met hers.

"That is so sweet," she said and kissed him. And continued to kiss him. It would have gone for hours had it not been for the sudden, "Aw!" from Harry, Ginny, and Neville.

The awkwardness was interrupted with the shout of "Dinner!" from downstairs.

As large as it was, there was no way the Potter's dining room table could fit sixteen people, so they moved out to the backyard. It was summer, the air was warm, and the sky was bright and clear. A quick spell to repel bugs, and they were able to enjoy a delicious dinner. A noisy table as well. Remus and Arthur Weasley were talking politics, James and the Longbottoms were talking about work, Lily, Carol, and Molly Weasley were talking eagerly with Ginny and Hermione about something that caused them to giggle uncontrollably every few minutes, and Sirius was sharing some of the Marauder's best pranks with Fred and George, who were in turn were trying to get funding for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Harry, Neville, and Ron simply ate, never feeling that food and conversation were good matches.

After desert, there were presents. A lot of presents. Piles of candy, pranks, and books (from Hermione) were scattered with bits of wrapping paper and string. Finally, both boys' parents gave them gifts. "On three?" Harry asked. "One . . . two. . ." But neither could wait until three to rip open the packages, and both gasped.

Neville's had further packaging- a clear, plastic box through which he could see what everyone else thought was merely a potted plant. But Neville's eyes were wide, and he said, "thank you," breathlessly. His parents smiled.

"We knew you wanted something distinctive for your collection," Alice said.

"It's perfect," said her son.

"What is it?" asked Ron.

"It's a parrot flower," Neville said. "It copies things. These are so hard to find because they rarely look like this. In the wild, they pick something to look like and sound like and they stay that way. But this is what they look like when they're blank."

You could call the plant blank, some might call it boring. Nondescript looking leaves of a rather ordinary green surrounded unremarkable, though pretty, white flowers. However, when Neville took the lid off of the box, the plant shuddered, and its leaves became dark and stingy looking, its flowers turning brown and orange.

"Look, it's mimicking our hair," he said. As soon as he said it, the flowers seemed to echo: "our hair."

Everyone looked impressed. Everyone except Harry, who was far to busy staring at his own present to pay attention to the plant. His fingers ran down the shining handle, brushed through the bristles, and over the neat letters at the top, Nimbus 5000.

James smiled. "You couldn't go on using my old broom, now could you." Harry simply stared at his parents and the broomstick. He had loved using the broom his father had used when he played professionally, but to have his own? This was wonderful. And the newest Nimbus? It was practically the best broom available. And no one but the national teams used anything better.

He regained enough voice to mutter his thank-you's before deciding that he could look at this no longer. While everyone else was distracted by the talking plant, Harry jumped his new Nimbus and circled the back yard. Everyone looked up and cheered, except for his mother, who yelled, "Get down from there! You know Muggles could see you!"

The sun was setting and the moon, a thin sliver, was hanging brightly in the sky. The later it grew, the more conversations were dominated by yawns than actual words. Since most of the adults had work the next day, it was decided that the party should end.

As the Longbottoms were leaving, Harry whispered to Neville, "Next year, we through a party without the parental units." Neville nodded eagerly and returned home thinking of what that would have been like.

After the others left, Harry dug through the refrigerator (magically chilled, of course) for the leftover cake, but his mother had hidden it somewhere. She was always saying he had to eat healthier, and had replaced the sweets in the house with fruits and vegetables, much to the dissatisfaction of both Harry and his father.

The next morning, Harry woke up from happy dreams about Quidditch on his new broomstick. He could hear his parents talking downstairs, as well as his stomach growling. He must have slept late this morning.

The morning's owl post had already arrived, and Harry saw the familiar Hogwarts envelope on the table. His letter and list of supplies were on top, and his mother held a third piece of paper in his hands. Her expression was grim, and Harry gulped.

"Your OWL results arrived this morning," she said, her voice completely serious.

"Can you explain?" his father asked. "You got a 'Poor' in History of Magic."

"Come on, you know Professor Binns doesn't teach anything! He was dead when you were there!" Harry looked back and forth between his parents. He didn't think he had done well on his OWLs, but he also didn't think he had done that badly.

"That isn't an excuse, young man. Your father and I want an explanation for these scores and we want it now!" Before Harry could say anything, his father burst out laughing. "James, stop it! You're ruining it!" But Lily was laughing now, too.

"What on Middle-earth is going on?" Harry asked. Both his parents were now laughing too hard to explain, but James handed his son the OWL scores.

History of Magic was on top, and he did score a "Poor." But the other scores got better and better- "Acceptable" in Muggle Studies, Herbology, and Astronomy; "Exceeds Expectations" in Charms, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures; and somehow, he had managed "Outstanding" in both Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions. Eight OWLs, most of them high scores. And Harry started laughing too- his parents' disappointment had been a very clever act, until his father started laughing.

"It was your father's idea," said Lily apologetically, "but he still managed to mess it up." She glared at her husband playfully, and he kissed her on the cheek.

Harry groaned. "Not in front of the children," he said. Once his parents stopped, he asked, "Are we going school shopping today?"

"I was thinking of going myself," Lily said. "You two are never any help anyway. You just stop at Quality Quidditch supplies and leave me to get all your books myself."

"But that's the point, Lily, dear. You go shopping and we stay out of your way. Why do we have to be out of the way at home?"

"Because you always buy some ridiculous gadget for your broomstick that you don't need and is simply a waste of money. That's why you and Harry are going to find something else to do while I buy his books."

Harry and his father looked at each other. James grinned. "I think we'll find something to do, won't we son?"

"Oh, sure. Something."

The rest of the day was spent playing Quidditch in the yard, just out of view of the Muggle neighbors. It was a risk, but both father and son were feeling reckless, so close to the start of school. Besides, James' time off from work was ending that day- he had to enjoy himself.

A stack of books and new robes in her arms, Lily popped back into the kitchen just in time for dinner. "So what have you boys made for me for dinner?" she asked.

"Cooked?" Harry asked. "Us?"

"You didn't think I would come home from shopping all day, buying things for _you_, and then make dinner? Your father at least should know better than that. I hope you get cooking."

Fortunately, there were leftovers in the refrigerator, so James and Harry didn't have to do any actual cooking, which would have likely started a fire. It was a typical Potter family dinner, fairly quiet because their family was small, but still joyful.

Summer days slowly became shorter, the air a little cooler in the mornings. School was growing closer and closer. Harry wished summer could last a little longer, but was still excited. School meant seeing Ginny Weasley every day rather than only for a few weekends. He would miss sleeping in every morning, and days without Snape were always wonderful, but they had to end sometime.

And end they did. "Harry! Wake up or you'll miss the train!" Harry pushed the covers off of his head and slowly got dressed. His owl, with his majestic black and white feathers, swooped around his head.

"Stop it, Uric," Harry said. James had named the bird Uric the Oddball. "Come on, time to get in your cage." The bird hooted indignantly as his owner tried to push him into the cage, flying too high for the Gryffindor to catch. "Fine, be that way. You'll come down before we go, I hope."

"Harry, I mean it, you have to come down!"

"I'm coming, mom. I'll be there in a second."

He was down quickly, carrying the cage and setting it down on top of his trunk. He ate breakfast and the three of them waited outside for the taxi, which was running late, stuck in traffic.

It was close to eleven by the time they reached the platform. James helped his son load his trunk onto the train, more out of habit than because Harry needed help. Harry was searching the platform for his friends, who were probably already on the train. He spotted Neville and went to run over, but was stopped. "Not so fast, young man. You aren't getting away from me that easily." His mother pulled him into a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mum, stop it!" he said, pulling away. He was sixteen, not some little first year.

"Fine, fine. Go to friends. Have a good year and don't get into too much trouble!" She yelled the last bit as he ran off to his friends. The Weasleys and Hermione had found Neville, and the five of them would want a compartment together.

Unfortunately, the train was now quite full. Ginny let them through the corridor, poking her head into compartments.

While this was going on, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were thoroughly enjoying the first time they had been properly alone together all summer. Seamus' head was resting on Dean's shoulder, their hands intertwined. There was a knock on the door, and they quickly pulled apart. When they saw Ginny, though, they resumed their original position. Ginny knew about them, and she didn't care.

When Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Neville followed her, however, they didn't have time to pull apart again. They had been caught, and they waited in awkward silence for a few moments.

It was Hermione who finally spoke. She said simply, "Have you too been together all summer?" It was a commonplace question, and her voice was bright, but Dean started off being defensive.

"Together?" he asked, letting go of Seamus' hand. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on," said Harry, smiling. "You aren't fooling anyone, not any more than those two-" he pointed to Ron and Hermione, "fooled us. Just come out with it already."

"Fine, Dean, we might as well tell them. Ginny already knows, and I suppose it's only time before they find out." Seamus looked at his friends. "Dean and I have been dating since last May. We haven't told anyone, but it was damn near impossible to keep it a secret at school."

"Well, you didn't really keep it a secret," Ginny said. "I walked in on the two of them after one of their OWLs. Good thing I was the one who walked in and not Draco Malfoy or someone."

After the momentary awkwardness, the friends fell into easy conversation. They were cramped- Dean, Seamus, and Ginny squeezed into one seat, Ron, Hermione, and Harry in the other, and Neville standing. He finally managed to sit on a trunk pushed up against the window, but it was still tight. No one seemed to mind, except Ron. He had been staring at his roommates with an expression of shock and surprise, suddenly seeing them in a new light. This wasn't something he could have predicted. Not at all. He shared a room with these guys for the past five years. All the times they had stayed up at night, laughing, talking about girls. And both Dean and Seamus had been feigning an interest in the likes of Parvati and Lavender. This wasn't something Ron was ready to process. But he knew enough to stay quiet about it.

Instead, he put his arm around Hermione, pulling her close. They could talk about new teachers, OWL scores, anything. He just wanted his girl pulled close right now, and for the first time, wanted the train ride to end so they would be at school, in much less cramped conditions. This would be an interesting year

So what did you think! I'm sorry this took so long to finish, but it's longer than my usual chapters, so it might make up for it. Next chapter will come eventually- school starts Tuesday, so I'll be busy. Also, for readers of my other story (my marauders fic), I'm so sorry for the delay, but I have terrible writer's block. I know what's going to happen later in the story, but I have no idea what will happen next. If anyone has a little advice, that would be so helpful.

Please review! I'll write faster if you care!


	4. Wedding Bells

Note: I'm so, so, so, so sorry this took so long to get up. I have school, and I'm in the musical, which opens in two weeks, (update: ended a week a go. Now I have time to write, but I miss Seussical!) so I'm really busy with that, and I've had a lot of home work, and I know I'm just making excuses, but I am genuinely sorry I didn't update. I wanted to get this up before election day, or even post on election day, but clearly that didn't happen. Hillary Clinton in 2008 all the way! Sorry. I had to.

Okay, so I made the slash part of the plot in the beginning of this chapter. Just this chapter, though. This chapter contains some language that is derogatory and hateful, and which will offend some people. (It offends me) Just remember who's saying the hateful things before you call me bigoted in your reviews.

Chapter 3: Wedding Bells

"I'll expect these essays the day you get back. No excuses, whether you're at school for vacation or not!"

"A whole week without Snape," Ron said dreamily as they walked out of the class. "Paradise."

Harry and Neville laughed; Hermione smiled and pulled Ron's hand into her own. Neville looked at the two of them a little bitterly. "I got to get me a girlfriend," he said to Harry. "Between the two of them, you and Ginny, and Dean and Seamus, everyone's got someone but me."

"I heard my name," Seamus said, coming up behind them. "What's up?"

"Neville is bitter," Harry said. "He doesn't realize that dating is far more work than it's worth. Though it has some perks." He began to smile.

Ron quickly caught the look on his friend's face and frowned. "Watch it, mate," he said. "That's my little sister you're talking about."

Seamus and Neville both laughed. "So where's Dean?" Harry asked. "You two aren't often apart."

"I could say the same about you and Ginny. Dean had to talk to Professor Lupin about an assignment before vacation. I was hungry, so he told be to go on ahead." The others nodded. Only Ron became quiet, and pulled Hermione in closer.

The friends began to talk about vacation plans, which for all of them except Seamus and Hermione were filled with Sirius' wedding. Harry was walking backwards, telling them funny stories he had heard about Sirius picking out flowers and invitations. He wasn't looking where he was going, which was unfortunate, because coming down the hall was a group of Slytherins, lead by Draco Malfoy.

"Watch where you're going, Potter," he said with a sneer. "What a motley group you all make. A weasel, a Mudblood, an idiot, and a queer. And of course Harry Potter, who must be the center of them all."

"Shut up, Malfoy," Seamus said. His ears were turning red and he was clearly stopping himself from causing the Slytherin some kind of pain.

"Or you'll do what? Burst my eardrums with a Cher song? That's what you people listen too, isn't it?" Seamus started forward, and Hermione put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Draco turned to the rest of the Slytherins and said, "Would you look at that? The fag wants to fight!" He laughed, and now it took both Neville and Harry to hold Seamus back.

Draco suddenly sensed that he didn't want to be in the midst of this, and started walking past the Gryffindors, smirking.

"He's not worth it," Hermione said when the Slytherins had passed out of earshot. "Snape's classroom is just down the hall and he would have had you suspended for fighting."

"You can't listen to what that idiot says," said Neville. "Believe me, you learn to ignore it after a while."

"I don't want to ignore it! I want him to stop being stupid and bigoted. I want him to get it through his thick skull that he can't say things like that!"

"But you won't," said Harry. "A kid like Draco Malfoy's not going to learn, no matter what you do. You have to pick your battles, and with him, it really isn't worth it. Now come on, I'm hungry, and dinner tonight should be good."

"Yeah, fine. I guess you're right. He just makes me so mad."

Ginny and Dean were both waiting at the Gryffindor table, already digging into the food that was spread out across the table. "What took you so long?" Dean asked, kissing Seamus on the cheek as he sat down.

"Malfoy," was all he could say without an angry rant, so that was all he said. Dean understood.

Neville looked from Dean and Seamus to Harry and Ginny to Ron and Hermione. "I _really _need to get a girlfriend," he muttered to himself, and opened up the late addition of the Daily Prophet that had just arrived. The headline practically screamed out at him. "Did you guys see this yet?" he asked

"No," said Hermione, detaching herself from Ron. "I've only seen this morning's. What does it say?"

"'Black Speaks Against Hogwarts' Staff' is the headline."

"It's about Remus, isn't it," Harry said, turning to look at the staff table. Teachers were all reading the evening's paper too.

"Yeah. Listen. 'Minister of Magic candidate Bellatrix Black spoke to a group of concerned parents and voters this afternoon, denouncing Albus Dumbledore and his management of Hogwarts school. She criticized the curriculum of the school, stating that he was exposing children to dangerous magic at too young an age. Black also sharply condemned the qualifications of Hogwarts' teachers, most notably the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, a known and registered werewolf. "It is the responsibility of parents and the government to work together to protect our children, and to maintain that their education is the best. Clearly, the government has not been doing its job to protect them from dangerous individuals like Remus Lupin," she said in her speech this afternoon.

"'She went on to state that her opponent, Arthur Weasley, would not protect the children of the voters, as his relationship with Albus Dumbledore would prevent him from seeing the change that was needed. A spokesperson for the Weasley campaign could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. With tactics like this just two weeks before the election, the _Daily Prophet_ wonders how this speech will influence voters in the days to come.' It has the text of the speech a few pages later, and some analysis too."

Hermione took the paper from Neville and began to read. Ron and Ginny looked at each other. "This isn't good for Dad, is it?" Ron asked. Ginny shook her head.

"But not all people can think that having a werewolf at Hogwarts is that bad," Harry said. "No one seems to mind now, right? Everyone knows how great a teacher Remus is, and how he couldn't hurt anyone."

"Harry, look at this logically," Hermione said. "You grew up around Professor Lupin; he's one of your parent's best friends. But most of the magical community doesn't look at it that way. Professor Lupin waited until his students knew him a little, a few weeks into term, to tell them he was a werewolf. How many of those kids to you think told their parents? Not that many, I would think, if they liked him and weren't completely stupid. Some of the Slytherins, probably, whose parents probably told them they would file complaints, but no one else would really care enough. This is going to be big, and it's going to be bad for Mr. Weasley's campaign."

"Won't Sirius come up with something good to get back at Bellatrix thought?" Ron asked. "He's been great for Dad so far."

"Hermione's right," said Ginny sadly. "It'll be too little, too late. There just isn't enough time to change people's minds before New Years'. If anything, Dad will come out saying how he supports Dumbledore and is friends with Professor Lupin, which, even thought it's the truth, isn't what people want to hear."

Harry looked up at the staff table again. Remus was deep in conversation with the headmaster, and he looked grim. Dumbledore was shaking his head. On could surmise that Remus had been saying something about resigning, and Dumbledore wouldn't hear it. By this point, the whole school had seen the evening's paper, and was staring up at the staff table, the distinctive buzz of gossip echoing in the hall.

"Professor Lupin isn't leaving, is he?" a second year girl asked nervously. "He's the best teacher I've got."

"Dumbledore won't let him leave," Hermione said reassuringly. "He wouldn't have hired him if he wasn't prepared for the backlash."

"Dumbledore was prepared for the backlash, but I don't think Remus was," Harry said. "I have a feeling Dad and Sirius will have some sort of conversation with him, talking him out of whatever he's planning on doing. They've been good at that. He just better not do anything rash tonight. Vacation starts tomorrow."

Christmas break was a welcome relief from school work and all that talk about politics. Though the election was less than two weeks away now, it was easy to get it out of their heads, for at least a little while. Sirius and Carol's wedding was much more pressing.

The Potter home had become wedding central for Carol, as their apartment was overrun with flowers and fabric. They saved money doing things themselves, but it was a hassle. So the Potters' livingroom had played host to gown fittings and a bridal shower, for all of which Harry stayed far out of the way. He was too young to go to Sirius' bachelor party and his friends had their own work to do. Hermione was away and all the Weasleys were consumed with trying to save their father's campaign.

They all managed to take the evening off for Christmas dinner, which had been held at the Longbottoms since the families had been friends. It was a bit more snug than it used to be, never less then twenty people. But the evening was full of laughter. Molly, Lily, and Alice pulled were sharing wedding day stories with Carol. Ginny and Harry gazed longingly into each other's eyes while her brothers and Neville watched and laughed. A few people, alas were missing. Percy Weasley was becoming quite obsessed with his work, convinced that if he worked overtime at all hours of the night, he would get his father elected, or at least earn himself a promotion. Remus was home sleeping off the previous night's full moon. Lily soon noticed this and before the night grew to late, she gathered some food and popped into his apartment, living him something to eat when he awoke.

"He never has anything wholesome to eat, just canned food and instant meals. He needs something homemade every once in a while," Lily said to explain herself, though no one was arguing.

The dinner was delicious and they had good times distracting themselves from politics and wedding plans, and everyone went home happy and stuffed.

The next morning was a little less relaxed and content. The wedding was at noon, so Carol and her other bridesmaids were at Potters first thing. When Harry stumbled down the stairs, half dressed, there were cries of "out!" and "shoo!" from the women getting ready. In Sirius' apartment, however, the tone was quite different. Sirius was no where to be found, but the entire living room and kitchen seemed to have been invaded by brightly colored flowers.

"Padfoot?" James was calling as Harry walked in. "Come on, you haven't got cold feet, have you?"

"Hey, Dad, I think these roses are moving," Harry said, laughing. Underneath the pile of red petals was a large, black dog, fast asleep.

"Padfoot, my friend, you have to wake up some time, hopefully soon." The dog whimpered a little and burrowed further under the flowers. "Come on now, I know you're awake, just get up. Honestly, I didn't hide under plants the morning my wedding, and I was nearly twenty years younger than you are now."

The dog growled and stood up, shaking rose petals out of his hair. Then Sirius stood and yawned loudly. "But its too bloody early to get up now. If the womenfolk think they need to preen and primp for five hours, fine with them. All I need is a little more sleep."

"No you don't," Remus said, stepping in from the fire place. "You need to get dressed then help us get all these flowers into the Potters' backyard. We need to cast that bubble around the place to keep the snow out and we need to get food ready for the reception. And I need to remember to thank Lily for the dinner she left for me last night."

"Remind me why I invited you again, Moony," Sirius said with a smile.

"Because I can get things organized, and if it were up to these two, you would have been asleep for a few more hours and gone to your own wedding in a sweat suit."

The Potter men looked offended, then at each other, and shrugged. "It's true," said Harry reluctantly. "We are rather hopeless. Thank goodness for Mum."

James nodded. "Now, as best man, it is my duty to force you into the shower if you won't go at your own free will, while we start moving centerpieces and alert the ladies that you will be passing through." Sirius stood there for a moment, running his fingers through his tangled hair.

"It's just too early," he said.

"Go!" James said laughing. To Remus and Harry, he said, "Grab a floral arrangement and brave the domain of the women. Harry, you go first, because you're young and they won't go after you."

The women had apparently moved out of the kitchen and into the livingroom, so the coast was clear for transport of flowers. The snow was thick outside, so casting a dome to keep it out was harder than they thought, but James and Remus easily got it done. They even added a glass floor over the snow. They hung flowers and vines, carefully floating climbing roses to create an archway.

"Why don't you just conjure and archway?" Harry asked. "What if the flowers fall?"

"Oh, they won't," James said, smiling. "At least, not unless I tell them to."

"Your father perfected this spell in school, Harry," Lupin explained. "Best way to drop things on unassuming Slytherins."

"Those were good times," James said longingly. "I remember once, Padfoot and I . . ."

"Don't go giving him any ideas, Prongs. I'm a teacher now, remember. And so is Snape. The Slytherin head of house was a pushover when we went to school, but not any more."

"Fine, fine. But someone needs to have taken over from the void left by the twins graduating. Why shouldn't my son, heir the great tradition of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs? You've only got a year and a half more, than it's up to the baby!"

"What was that?" Lily said, coming into the fragrant dome, hand resting on her stomach. "You've already managed to turn Harry into a little delinquent, but you will not be turning this one into the next generation Marauders. Now stop reminiscing and start conjuring chairs. Or better, let me to that so you can make sure Sirius hasn't run away. I'm starting to think the idea of this kind of settling is frightening him a little."

"We've got a few hours to talk him back into it, if need be. First, fifty white chairs." One by one, the seats filled in, the flowers were suspended, and fairies were floating a few feet above where guests would soon be sitting. James, Harry, and Remus surveyed their work, thoroughly pleased with themselves. Of course, they could have payed too close attention, because not an hour after they left, Lily and Carol completely rearranged things, Carol's Muggle sisters helping a little with what they could. "Men," they muttered to themselves.

Back at the Black apartment, the men finally decided to get ready properly. Sirius was standing facing the mirror, trying without any avail to tie a bow tie. "Why am I wearing this? Someone tell me again?"

"Because Carol wants you to and you love her?" James offered.

"No, that can't be it. Why would I subject myself to such torture for a woman, even that woman."

"Because you thought it was a good idea at the time and now you can't change it?" Harry suggested.

"This never sounded like a good idea," Sirius insisted.

"Because James wore one at his wedding, couldn't tie it properly, and since then you promised you'd be able to do it. I think there many have even been some sort of cash wager," Remus said. "Now stop pulling at it or you'll strangle yourself." He got up and fixed the thing in a few seconds.

"Why haven't they come up with a spell to do that?"

"Because they have better things to do with their time. Or they have, and you had better things to do than learn it. But now you're ready, we have an hour left, and it is time, my friend."

James smiled, but Harry looked bewildered. "Time for what?"

"We ought to inaugurate him into the tradition. He's sixteen now, and besides, he'll have to carry it on once Remus has been tied down. Unless, of course, he manages it before Moony here."

"Hey! It's the groom we're supposed to be roasting, not me. I'd also like to remind you that I dated both Lily and Carol before either of you. It's not my fault they lowered their expectations losing after me."

Harry laughed, but through his laughter he did add, "Remember that's my mom your talking about."

The older men looked at him. "That's true. Unless you want to hear things about your parents you never needed to know, I suggest you go see if perhaps the womenfolk need a hand."

Harry shuddered, getting an unpleasant mental picture of his parents. "I think I'll go see if Ginny is here yet. Yeah, that's a good idea." And he bolted through the fireplace.

A few guests had arrived, with only Carol's family to greet them. The Weasley family was among the first, which was lucky, because Harry could easily get unpleasant thoughts about his mother and father out of his mind with one look into Ginny's eyes. They were quickly pulled apart as Harry was introduced to various family members of Carol and asked over and over what his relationship to the couple was. It got to such a degree of redundancy Harry was tempted to say he had no relationship with the couple whatsoever and was an actor paid to interact with guests at weddings of antisocial people. He actually started that line when his mother appeared and gave him a look. "I'm a friend of Sirius, actually," he told the smiling people. It was a small wedding, true, but he had never met half the people there.

At about quarter 'til, the three Marauders popped in and Harry was relieved from introducing guests to each other. "Where are Ginny and Ron?" he muttered to himself, but before he could find them, he was told to get into place, the ceremony was about to begin.

Dumbledore, as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, was entitled officiate weddings, among other things, and was overjoyed when asked to perform this one. Sirius stood at the top of the aisle, waiting for his bride. James walked with Lily, best man and maid of honor. Lupin and Harry each walked with one of Carol's sisters. The guests stood as Carol came down the aisle, her dress whiter than the snow that fell around them, escorted by her father. Sirius stared at her, his mouth open. She reached him, looked into his grey eyes, and smiled. He could do nothing but stare at her, open mouthed, until James kicked him gently in the shin. "Right," he said, smiling.

Dumbledore looked at them both, his blue eyes at their brightest. "Marriage. The union of two people to celebrate their love and harmony with each other. To find the person that his in such balance with you, to find the person that fits you as if you were made for each other and no one else, that is rare. But when it happens, it is beyond all magic that we may perform with wands or potions, far beyond anything that we may teach. It is a magic that is as old as time, that is felt by all people, though magic may not be what they choose to name it. It is honest and pure, more powerful than any other. And you two, Carol Morgan and Sirius Black, have discovered that magic.

"You will say today that you love each other and no one else. You will hold this vow when times are good, and you will not break it if times become bad. You, and all of us here, have been fortunate to live in calm times. We hope that they may continue, but even if they don't, you will have each other." Dumbledore paused, looking at the smiling couple. "But you knew that before you came here. You knew, somewhere, that you would reach this day from when you were very young. I have had the benefit of seeing you grow up together as your teacher, then watched you in adulthood as a friend. And you already knew that you would reach this day, that you would hold on to each other if darkness ever came. So now, though you remain two, you are in reality one, bound by this promise.

"Do you, Carol Morgan, take this man to be your husband, to have and hold, honor cherish and protect, through light and darkness, through joy and sorrow, as long as you bpt remain bound to the earth?"

She smiled until her eyes were alight, looked at the man she loved, and said, "I do."

"And do you, Sirius Black, take this woman to be your wife, to have and hold, honor, cherish and protect, through light and darkness, through joy and sorrow, as long as you both remain bound to the earth?"

"Of course I do," he said. Guests cheered, and Dumbledore raised his hand for quiet.

"Then, by the power vested in me by the International Confederation of Wizards and the Ministry of Magic, I pronounce you husband and wife. Sirius, you may kiss your bride."

As they sealed their love, the glass dome pulsed with light and energy. Guests cheered again, and Harry and Ginny met eyes once again. "Maybe someday," he mouthed to her, and she giggled and blushed.

Soon, the chairs and archway were transformed into little round tables and a dance floor. Food appeared on plates, wine and butterbeer in glasses. James stood up and tapped his glass to get everyone's attention. "I suppose I have to make some sort of toast now," he said. "Sirius has been my best friend since we started school. We weren't supposed to like each other, we were supposed to become the most famous pair of rivals at Hogwarts since, well, since our parents were at school. But we became friends just to spite them, and now look where we are.

"I never thought I would see this man settle down with someone, anyone. He was always just too wild, too uninhibited by the chains of society. Then he met someone with wits to match his own, a spirit just as fiery. Carol, of all the people who have walked through our lives, you have been the only one I said would tame this man. Your strength and independence shine out, and you've found someone who sees them and will celebrate them. And if he doesn't, he'll have Lily to answer to, so you're all set.

"Hold on to each other, love each other, and be good to each other, and you will be able to face anything that life throws at you. So, my friends, you embark on married life, hand in hand, or sometimes furry black paw. All the best to you, now and until forever." He raised up his glass. "To Sirius and Carol!" The others echoed, and the party began, and went on into the night.

Five days later, a party of another sort was crammed into the Leaky Cauldron. "Weasley for Minister" posters where hung everywhere, and the Wizarding Wireless Network was turned up, predicting election results from various cities and counties.

Harry and his friends were crowded in a booth that faced the center of the room, watching the adults in the party make toasts and yell at the radio. None of them could vote, but they waited eagerly.

About fifteen minutes before the results were ready to be announced, Arthur Weasley stood up on a chair. "If I could have your attention before they give the results," he asked. "I just wanted to thank all of you for being a part of this, and supporting me through the hectic last few months. You've all been great, and even if we don't win tonight, it's great to know that I've got so many friends in the community.

"To my family, my beautiful wife and wonderful children, thank you for putting up with my late hours and never having me home for dinner. Thank you for giving me encouragement, keeping me grounded, and making me laugh." He looked at the twins, who smiled and raised their glasses. "To Sirius, who has run a brilliant campaign even while planning his own wedding, and to his new wife Carol, who has put up with his absence beautifully. Even if this doesn't turn out the way we wanted to, we've had great joy, and that makes it worth it.

"In terms of the campaign, I also want to thank you for proving that, even if we lose tonight, we're better people than my opponent. She chose to attack my friends at a point when she was losing support, and if she wins because of it, than she has only shown that sometimes people will give in to their prejudices and small mindedness. She has also shown that the caliber of people who don't. We never stooped that low and are better for it.

"Thank you for giving me the chance to get my positions out there. If we win tonight, well then, I can make some if my ideas permanent. If not, keep working, because we can all make change.

"That's all I wanted to say, so you can go back to partying before the announcement comes, which should be any minute. But no matter what happens, thank you all for the hard work that you've put into this."

There was loud, long applause, before someone stood up and shouted, "Be quiet! Their gonna make the announcement!"

The voice of the anchor on WWN came in clearly over the murmuring of the crowd. "My good witches and wizards listening at home and at parties, I can now say that we can confidently declare a winner of this election. The votes have been close, but all have been cast and counted, and we can officially declare that the new Minister of Magic will be . . ."

Sorry, but it was way to good an opportunity to pass up. Once I sat down and wrote this thing, it didn't take that long, so from now on I promise not to make you wait three months for a new chapter. And before you say you won't keep sitting through more chapters of fluff, I promise it gets better. Remember the premise of the story, please. Thanks for waiting, so now please review!


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